Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Eber Culver diary
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Eber Culver diary
- Date
- 1911 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Culver, Eber, 1824-1911
- Extent
- 0.05 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Architects.
- Architectural design
- Gold mines and mining -- California.
- Land companies.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0028: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Eber Culver diary, 1911, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Eber Culver was born September 6, 1824 to Simon and Susanna Culver in Cayuga County, New York. He grew up in Fleming, New York and at the age of 16, he moved to Dayton, Ohio for three years to learn carpentry. Upon completion of his training in carpentry Culver returned to New York when he met Ann Hermance (1826-1911); they married on October 12, 1847. Over the course of their marriage, they had six children: Ella S. (1848-1944), Emma (1853-1853), Newton H. (1854-1923), Mary Etta (1860-1951), Frank S. (1867-1930), and Fred Eber (1867-1884). In 1849, Culver went west after hearing reports of gold in California, leaving behind his wife and newborn child. Upon arrival in California, he had no luck in finding gold and began working as a carpenter in Sacramento in 1850 before returning home to his family in New York after learning of his wife's illness. In 1855, Culver and family moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania and became a partner in the architecture firm of Culver, Barber, and Company. He is well known for building Millionaires Row in Williamsport, along with Trinity Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church, and a number of residences in the community. Eber passed away on October 21, 1911, nine months after his wife passed.
- American Letters collector Wade Hall (1934-2015) was a native of Union Springs, Alabama. Starting in 1962, he lived in Louisville, where he taught English and chaired the English and Humanities/Arts programs at Kentucky Southern College and Bellarmine University. He also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida. He held degrees from Troy State University (B.S.), the University of Alabama (M.A.), and the University of Illinois (Ph.D.). He served for two years in the U.S. Army in the mid-fifties. Dr. Hall was the author of books, monographs, articles, plays, and reviews relating to Kentucky, Alabama, and Southern history and literature. His most recent books include A Visit with Harlan Hubbard; High Upon a Hill: A History of Bellarmine College; A Song in Native Pastures: Randy Atcher's Life in Country Music; and Waters of Life from Conecuh Ridge.
- Scope and Content
- The Eber Culver diary (dated 1911; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) consists of a diary documenting the life of Eber Culver from his childhood in New York to the months prior to his death in 1911. Culver began writing the diary at the urging of his children; it details his education as a carpenter, his travels west for gold and architectural work in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Culver mentions his alliance with the free soil party and his support for Martin Van Buren and John C. Fremont. Culver writes that the nomination of Lincoln gave Free Soil cohesion, eventually becoming the Republican Party, along with noting the modernization of the carpentry trade and the shift to machine labor.
- The Eber Culver diary is part of the Wade Hall Collection of American letters, which includes correspondence and diaries from all over North America covering the time period of the Civil to Korean Wars. The materials were collected by Wade Hall and document everyday men and women.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- The collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
